Josie Cotton (born 1956) is an American singer/songwriter, best known for her minor hits "Johnny Are You Queer" and "He Could Be the One" from 1982. "Johnny Are You Queer" has been featured on the soundtracks to the movies Jackass Number Two and Valley Girl, and "He could be the one" was also featured in Valley Girl.

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Career[edit]

Born Kathleen Josey in Dallas, Texas, Cotton sang with Dallas area bands before moving to Los Angeles, California. She met Larson Paine in Hollywood, and the two began dating. Larson and his brother Bobby gave her "Johnny Are You Queer", previously performed by The Go-Go's, to record as a demo. After the first label to sign her folded, Bomp! Records released "Johnny Are You Queer" as a single.[1]

The performance of the single attracted the attention of Elektra Records, which re-released both the single and a full album, also featuring future Kingdom Come member Johnny B Frank on keyboards, in 1982. The Convertible Music LP featured music reminiscent of the 1960s girl group tradition. Cotton made an appearance in the 1983 film Valley Girl, singing "Johnny Are You Queer?", "He Could Be the One" and "School Is In" during the film's prom scene. In 1984, Elektra issued Josie's follow-up album, From the Hip, which returned a minor hit with the cover of Looking Glass' "Jimmy Loves Maryann" (featuring guitar work by Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac). In 1986, Cotton appeared in a minor film role as the character Silver Ring in the John McTiernan horror film Nomads opposite Adam Ant and Pierce Brosnan. "Johnny Are You Queer" was later featured in Jackass: Number Two during the "Anaconda Ballpit" stunt and in the compilation album "A Date with John Waters". The punk band Screeching Weasel covered the song on their 1994 album How To Make Enemies And Irritate People.

Cotton recorded Frightened by Nightingales (as Josey Cotton) in 1993. The collection of songs by songwriter/violinist/self promoter Bill Rhea was released on the French label Silences. Continuing to work behind the scenes, Cotton co-founded B-Girl Records, which issued recordings by Goldenboy and Alaska! A new album of her own music, The Influence of Fear on Salesmen, was planned for release in 2002 on B-Girl but failed to materialize under that title. Eventually, Cotton released Movie Disaster Music in 2006, followed by Invasion of the B-Girls, composed of B-movie theme song covers, also produced in part by Bill Rhea, in 2007. Building on the critical success of those disks, Cotton released Pussycat Babylon in late 2010. In 2009, "Johnny Are You Queer" ranked at No. 81 on VH1's "Top 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders Of The 80's" list.[citation needed]